An exhibition of the work of famed Evening Times cartoonist Willie Gall opened at Rothesay Library on March 7, 2009. The exhibition, Read Gall About It! went on display in the Mitchell Library in Glasgow last spring.

This article "It's show time...and you're Gall welcome" by Russell Leadbetter appeared in the Evening Times on 02/04/08.

For nearly half a century he was the man who made Glasgow and west Scotland smile. Readers turned to Willie Gall's daily cartoons in the Evening Times - and saw themselves.

His cartoons were thronged with ordinary couples: unshaven lazy husbands and their feisty wives; posh ladies-who-lunch; office workers; doctors; patients; teachers; bus conductors; taxi drivers; shop assistants; burly cops and adolescents.

Now some of the best of his work from the paper is to be featured in a free exhibition at the Mitchell Library.

The exhibition features a selection of Gall cartoons, together with a written introduction to the man and his work.

Willie captured Glasgow humour at its spikiest, at its most candid.

The captions were full of one-liners and observations we Jean by plans wished we had made ourselves.

Sundays excepted, Willie wrote his cartoons on a daily basis between 1956 and 2004. His Saturday cartoons lasted another year, until 2005.

He died in December 2006, and such was his fame that many people who never met him felt as if they had lost a close friend.

The moving force behind the exhibition, entitled Read Gall About It, is Alex Mosson, a former Lord Provost of Glasgow.

"Willie's caricatures and cartoons epitomise a lot of the life in Glasgow, and he built up a very strong reputation through that," said Mr Mosson.

A few years ago, a friend who was also on good terms with Willie and his wife Jean told Mr Mosson that Willie was not in the best of health, and Alex thought some sort of tribute was in order, if not overdue.

"To be honest, I was trying to get him an honour - recognition for the sheer contribution he had made to generations of Glasgow people through his cartoons in the Evening Times." The kind he had in mind, he says, was an OBE.

"That's what initially I was trying to do. I started to promote the idea, but Willie became unwell, and, as things turned out, events overtook the plan.

"But we also had an exhibition in mind, to recognise Willie's contribution to art and to laughter. Jean was happy to give us her support.

"We think the exhibition will be a great attraction, not only for the people of Glasgow but also for visitors to the city."

Another former Lord Provost, Liz Cameron, now chairwoman of Culture and Sport Glasgow, said:" Over the decades his cartoons reflected the very essence of all that is wonderfully irreverent about Glasgow wit and humour.

"Whether it was a sly take on everyday life or a pop at pomp and circumstance, his daily cartoon was superb. The exhibition is testament to a truly remarkable one-off talent." Kieran Meehan, Willie's successor as Evening Times cartoonist, said:" When I think of Scottish cartooning I think of Willie Gall."

He marvels that Willie kept up his work for nearly half a century." Longevity is the main thing - that's where the real quality comes through. It wasn't just the output - it was the quality of the output over such a long period of time." Malky McCormick, another cartoon legend, said after Willie's death:" I loved the man and admired him enormously professionally." From her home in Rothesay, Jean Gall said:" Willie was never one to make a fuss.

"But I think he would have been proud to know the Mitchell Library was holding an exhibition in his honour.

"It's a lovely gesture by everyone involved." The exhibition is a small tribute to a self-effacing but hugely talented man.